A417 Missing Link - March 2018

Closed 29 Mar 2018

Opened 15 Feb 2018

Contact

0300 123 5000

A417MissingLink@highwaysengland.co.uk

Results updated 20 Nov 2019

This consultation has now ended. For further information about our 2019 public consultation that has also closed, please visit our preliminary design public consultation page .

Outcome of 2018 consultation

Prefferred Route Announcement

Following our non-statutory options consultation in 2018 to improve the A417 between Brockworth bypass and Cowley roundabout in Gloucestershire our proposals have been modified and improved as a result of your feedback and we have chosen Option 30 as our preferred route for improving the A417 Missing Link.

Overall, the consultation demonstrated huge support for improving the Missing Link, in particular for route Option 30. We believe that Option 30 presents the best opportunity to deliver a landscape-led highways improvement scheme which meets all of our key objectives and delivers a return on investment.

To learn more about our preferred route, please see the documents below. For more information on the development of the project and to subscribe to our web alerts, please visit us on the A417 Missing Link scheme webpage.

 

 

Files:

Overview

Earlier this year we held a consultation on our proposals to improve the A417 between Brockworth bypass and Cowley roundabout in Gloucestershire. The consultation gave you the opportunity to express your views on our proposals.

The consultation is now closed but you can view the information that was presented below. We’d like to thank everyone who took part in the consultation; we’ll now consider all the responses very carefully before moving onto the next stage of scheme development.

Background and need

Together, the A417 and A419 through the Cotswolds make up one of the south west’s most important road corridors, helping people get to work and school and visit family and friends.

But there’s a problem. While most of the route is dual carriageway, there’s one section that isn’t. Known as the ‘Missing Link’, this 3 mile stretch of single carriageway on the A417 between the Brockworth bypass and Cowley roundabout restricts the flow of traffic, causing congestion and pollution.

Congestion can be so unpredictable that some motorists rat run along local roads, affecting the communities along these routes. These local roads were not designed for this level of traffic and collisions often happen.

The existing A417 runs through the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and crosses the highly sensitive Cotswolds escarpment at Crickley Hill. The challenging shape of the landscape, and the highly sensitive nature of the Cotswold escarpment, means that there is no easy solution for improving this section of road.

Over the years, there have been numerous attempts to improve the A417 Missing Link. For various reasons, including affordability and changes in investment priorities, these have never come to fruition. However, in recent years, the case for improvement has become more compelling – to improve safety, support the economy, ease congestion and reduce pollution.

In recognition of this, the Government’s Road Investment Strategy sets out the intention to improve the A417 Missing Link between the Brockworth bypass and Cowley roundabout.

Videos about the scheme

A417 animation video

 

 

Fly through video of the proposed scheme options.

 

 

Audiences

  • All members of the public

Interests

  • Roads